forum: Chicken

Re: New to keeping chickens in the garden - help needed

When it gets dark they will find their own way back to the coop but you MUST lock them in to keep them safe from predators. Our neighbours love looking after our 3 "girls" when we go away, we tell them to keep any eggs they lay, which is usually 21 eggs a week! They do make a mess of the garden, so be prepared to get lots of chicken wire and fence off anything you don't want dug up and flung across your yard. A decent sized coop is ok for them to be left in for a weekend, provided you pop in extra containers with water and food. Good luck! It's all trial and error.

Re: New to keeping chickens in the garden - help needed

I recently attended a seminar in relation to building Quoll proof chicken coops. A quoll is a cat-like carnivorous marsupial which is endangered in Australia.

GLENRAC has secured a threatened species grant from the World Wildlife Fund for Nature to assist Glen Innes community members to construct quoll-proof chicken houses and runs.

I figured, if it can keep a quoll out of the chicken house then it will keep feral cats, dogs, foxes, snakes, etc out too. It has become quite a major construction as I needed to get fairly strong wire to cover the nesting box & sleeping area. I ended up using 50 x 12 x 2.5 galvanised mesh. The reason for this is because quolls can eat through normal chicken wire. Placing corrugated iron on the floor area & concreting on this will provide a further safety layer.

During the day they will free range but will be put into the shed at night. I have a 2m x 2m floor area & 8 nesting boxes. I will be starting out with 8 chickens but may increase this number at a later date.

It just shows what we have to do to protect our chickens up here & to live with the environment. Native animals were here long before man ever walked on Earth & I like to do my bit trying to make sure they will be here long after I have gone.

Re: New to keeping chickens in the garden - help needed

My coop has a run that is fully enclosed on the sides and top with chicken wire. The door from the coop to the run is always open, but they go into the coop at night. If I am not home, they have the run, If I'm home, the yard is theirs! This way they can get outside in the run whenever they want, but if they're in the yard I'm there to watch for coyotes and raccoons. If they're in the yard I always leave the big door to the coop open so if the maurading pack of labradors comes through, they can get up to their roosts. Then they can always get in there to lay, too. I like my system, it works really well, and I think it's a good balance of happy and safe for my ladies. Oh, I forgot to mention, I have a little feed and water carousel that's good for quite awhile if I'm gone.

PS. My chickens (there's 10) have a cat friend. She's orange striped. She hangs out in the run with them. They really like each other, it's funny. She's feral. I've never gotten near her. I'm not a chicken...

Re: New to keeping chickens in the garden - help needed

All I would add is what ever you do avoid buying Guinea Fowl. Our neighbour has just bought a pair and you would not believe the level of noise they can churn out. Astonishingly dim looking birds (but quite pretty with their long necks and tiny heads) but lungs like a buffalo!

Apparently these two are destined for the pot at Christmas. Can't say I'm unhappy about that!

Re: New to keeping chickens in the garden - help needed

We have 3 chooks and a duck. Holidays are not so much an issue as we have provided our neighbours with free free range eggs throughout the year, and find they are only too happy to oblige when it comes to feeding them while we are away, as payment for the contributions year round.

Re: New to keeping chickens in the garden - help needed

Maree, as far as I have been able to find out chickens & ducks should be kept seperate as chickens contaminate their water supply with salmonella from their salivery glands & this can make the ducks sick.

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